Perth and Kinross Council's urgent action pledge on the high street

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The leader of Perth and Kinross Council has said ensuring there is a future for Perth city centre is a matter of urgency.

Councillor Murray Lyle says a number of measures are being taken to improve the city centre, after a number of big-name brands announced they were leaving Perth.

Since the new year, it has been announced that Gap on High Street is closing on January 31 while the Disney Store in St John’s Shopping Centre will shut its doors for the last time on Saturday, January 25.

This comes as Beales announced at the weekend it is on the brink of collapsing into administration, potentially putting the popular department store on St John Street at risk as well.

A number of other names have left in the past year or so as well, including children’s shoe shop This Little Piggy on South Methven Street and Thorntons chocolatier and Brighthouse on High Street.

Gap on High Street

Now, Cllr Lyle, who heads up a special working group set up to tackle the declining city centre, says money is being spent on sprucing up the buildings, and plans such as turning Perth City Hall into a visual arts museum and creating a high-end boutique hotel are just some of the actions being taken.

Speaking to the PA, he said: “The working group at the moment is waiting on a report coming back, but I have instructed the chief executive Karen Reid to be more proactive when it comes to the city centre rather than waiting, as this is a matter of urgency.

“Some funds have been used to tidy up some of the buildings, and we are looking at new ways of creating a thriving city centre in Perth.

Council leader Murray Lyle

“We are in the process of looking at hotel accommodation and have already progressed that significantly over the past year.

“This would specifically be a high-end hotel that will bring high-value customers into the city.

“We also need to be more inventive because chains are suffering nationally, so I have also asked we look into shared spaces.

“This would be where we have a commercial unit that previously could only be used for commercial purposes, but we can now look at sharing this with residential units. We also have to try and attract boutique shops rather than chains because of these national trends.”

He added new businesses will be able to get rates relief if they move into the city centre and said the council has been in talks with Beales.

The future of Beales department store on St John Street is uncertain

He added he hopes the new visual arts museum at Perth City Hall, which will potentially have the coveted Stone of Destiny as its centrepiece, will bring in more visitors to the city centre as well.

His comments came as shoppers and small business owners in the city centre told the PA more needs to be done to keep attracting people into the city centre.

One shopper Linda Philip said: “They are bringing in all these new houses and all these new people to the town, but where are they going to shop? There are no decent shops left here.

“Not everyone likes shopping online, people like to see and feel something before they go and buy it rather than ordering something online.

Thorntons on High Street closed last year

“It is really sad because Perth used to be a buzzing wee town, and now all these shops are lying empty.”

Another shopper said: “It is such a shame, everything is shutting at the moment. Everything will be shut soon, especially as the rates are too high.”

Meanwhile small businesses across the city centre have called for more measures to be taken by Perth and Kinross Council to make the city a more attractive place to come and shop. Suggestions ranged from offering free parking, doing more to advertise independent shops, and keeping the place clean and tidy.

Arlene Baird from Boo Vake of Watergate said: “Unfortunately some of the big names are an attraction, so when we lose them, we all lose out a wee bit.

Arlene Baird from Boo Vake on Watergate

“These things get talked about endlessly, and I don’t know what the solution is - I wish I did.

“Perth is still very strong for independent shops, we just need to let more people know about them.”

James Bruce from Number Five on High Street said: “We need to attract business to the city centre, and personally I think free parking always helps.

“Retail parks out of town have free parking, but the city centre doesn’t, so people just drive to the edge of town instead.

“I also don’t know how welcoming Perth is as a city.

Perth High Street

“Some of the customers come in and say it is lovely to come to Perth, but why are there so many empty buildings, dilapidated buildings, with things growing out the chimney pots?

“The council don’t keep the streets particularly clean either, so it can look quite shabby.

“All towns, and Perth is one of them, need to smarten themselves up to make it a desirable place to come for shoppers and businesses.”

Meanwhile Stuart Linton from Rohan on St John Street said: “There are not as many people on the street as there used to be when McEwens was here because it was a big brand department store and a lot of visitors to the town used to come for that specifically.

Stuart Linton from Rohan on St John Street

“There is an awful lot of charity shops and hairdressers now, they seem to be the only ones doing well, and it means the variety of shops is diminishing.

“It is the internet as well, because if people have the option of staying in their warm houses to buy something they will, so something needs to be done to balance the playing field there.

“There should be a tax on buying things online, and Perth and Kinross Council could lobby for that.”

Following the news of Gap and Disney leaving the Fair City, a public meeting is being held at the end of the month for business owners to share their ideas on what needs to happen to help save the city centre.

The PA can exclusively reveal this meeting will be held on Thursday, January 30 in the ballroom at the Royal George Hotel.

Brighthouse, which used to be on the corner of High Street and King Edward Street

It is being arranged by Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, and John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North.

Mr Wishart said: “The number of confirmed or rumoured closures of big brand name stores in Perth is extremely worrying.

“It is vital that policy makers, shop owners but also the city centre property owners, come together to discuss the big issues facing our town and city centres.

“It would be naive to think that we can completely reverse the trend of people doing more of their shopping online, but we need to have frank and honest conversations about what sort of mix of premises will bring the highest number of people into our town and city centres.”

Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, and John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, will be holding a meeting later this month

He continued: “A number of local authorities have started work which looks at the mix of premises that we have on the high street and who ultimately owns the buildings and sets the rent - this is something which is definitely worth considering.”

Mr Swinney MSP added: “With the clear movement of shoppers away from the high street and towards online retailers, it is vital that sufficient support is given to shop owners.

“Moreover, it is imperative that careful consideration is given to what steps are required to keep our high streets an attractive and viable proposition for shoppers.”